"Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls," wrote Sepp Blatter on Monday. The man banned from all FIFA activities until 2027, ousted amid corruption allegations that rocked world football, posted those words without apparent self-awareness — and the internet had a field day.
The context: FIFA announced Sunday that USMNT striker Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension — earned via VAR review for planting his foot into Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic during the USA's 2-0 win — would be deferred under a one-year probationary period rather than immediately served. The timing was conspicuous. According to a source briefed on the matter, Donald Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino personally to ask him to revisit the decision.
Balogun was available for Monday night's round of 16 clash against Belgium in Seattle. A knockout match. A key player. A phone call from the sitting U.S. president.
Blatter's post lands like a grenade — aimed at the wrong target
Blatter's full broadside on X went further than just the red card. "If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power."
He's not wrong. That's the maddening part.
Piers Morgan, who had already criticised FIFA's Balogun decision, noted it says something when even Blatter can credibly call out the ethics of the organisation he once ran into the ground. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher leaned into the absurdity, jokingly calling for Blatter to return and "clean up FIFA." The jokes write themselves — which is exactly the problem for FIFA's credibility right now.
What this actually means for Belgium vs USA
With Balogun available, the USMNT go into the Belgium tie with their full attacking options intact. Belgium lodged their own appeal before kick-off, presumably arguing the reversal sets a precedent that undermines sporting integrity. Whether FIFA entertains that is another question entirely.
The winner advances to a quarterfinal against either Portugal or Spain. That's the prize. And the pathway to it now runs through a controversy that has made FIFA the story — not the football.
For anyone pricing the USA's chances, Balogun's availability materially changes the attack's threat level. Whether the shadow over how that availability was secured changes anything else is a question FIFA seems content to leave unanswered.
The loudest critic of this whole mess remains a man serving a multi-year ban for corruption. FIFA have somehow made that the credible position.
